IPL chairman Lalit Modi receives death threat

Nicholls and Steyn, the South African security agency acting on behalf of the Indian Premier League, has confirmed it took “the necessary precautions” following reports of a death threat to Lalit Modi, the IPL’s highly influential chairman and commissioner.

The threat is alleged to have come from criminals in the Indian underworld thought to be unhappy at the effect the decision to move the tournament from India to South Africa has had on their illegal betting operations.

Modi was equally tight-lipped, saying only: “I don’t want to say anything on this issue.” The news threatened to detract from a hectic build-up in Cape Town, where the tournament starts on Saturday and follows concerns about staging a match in the city on the day of the South African general elections – Wednesday 22 April – as well as the high levels of crime in the country.

Mumbai police have been aware of the threat since March, and have stepped up surveillance at Modi’s home in the Indian capital.

Credits: guardian.co.uk